Snatch ‘Em Up Now
If they weren’t already drafted in your league, these guys will be hot commodities on the wire this week.
Quarterbacks:
Donovan Smith, Texas Tech – The severity of Tyler Shough’s injury was not revealed immediately afterwards but sounds like it was the same shoulder that he injured a year ago which kept him out the remainder of the season. We’ll likely find out this week how long Shough is out, but wise to add Smith who completed 14-of-16 passes for 221 yards and four touchdowns against Murray State. Quotes from beat writers do not seem promising that we’ll see Shough again for some time.
Mitch Griffis, Wake Forest – No Sam Hartman, not problem. Didn’t watch the game but saw highlights of Griffis dropping a few dimes, and had the stat-line to show for it with 288 yards and three scores in the win over VMI. Sure, its just VMI. But the schedule the next two weeks is also favorable with Vanderbilt and Liberty. If Hartman doesn’t return and Griffis continues to play like this, he’s got Florida State, Army and Boston College in succession after the Week 4 Clemson matchup.
Jayden de Laura, Arizona – Sensational performance from de Laura who completed 63% of his throws for four touchdowns against San Diego State. No shortage of weapons with WR1 Jacob Cowing and stud freshman Tetairoa McMillan who boost JDL’s stock, but the upcoming schedule is appetizing for potential fantasy points. Zona won’t likely be able to run on Mississippi State at home next week, so expect 40+ attempts from de Laura. Then its North Dakota State, California and Colorado to follow.
Mike Wright, Vanderbilt – Wright is exactly what Gerry Bohanon was a year ago with a *very* favorable non-conference schedule. Be ready to drop him once SEC play hits on September 24th when the Dores vs. Alabama, but we still get two more weeks of goodness with Wake Forest at home and NIU on the road.
Running Backs:
Khalan Laborn, Marshall – The former 5-star recruit had a Rasheen Ali-like performance vs. Norfolk State with 138 total yards and two scores. Still unknown as to when Ali will return to the field as he’s taken a leave of absence from the team, so Laborn is the guy for the foreseeable future. Won’t be starting him this week against Notre Dame, but the schedule is smooth sailing afterwards.
Anthony Grant, Nebraska – Typical RB1 volume share under OC Mark Whipple – 23.4%. That number so far for Anthony Grant – 61.5%. How sustainable is Grant’s production so far? TBD, particularly once the Cornhuskers get into B1G play where they’ll likely rely on the pass as underdogs. But this week against Georgia Southern? Grant is a must-start.
Oscar Adaway, North Texas – Maybe the UNT coaching staff was just getting Adaway acclimated to being back on the field last week? His snap counts and carries jumped considerably vs. SMU, rushing for 117 yards and a touchdown on 20 attempts. We were high on this rush offense coming into the year given their current personnel, and like Adaway even more if he’s getting 20 carries a game.
Tiyon Evans, Louisville – We made the switch to Evans at RB1 about two weeks into fall camp as reports surfaced he was impressing in scrimmages, so maybe he’ll still be out there on waivers if your league mates aren’t up to date with the news. Snap counts and attempts were significantly in favor of Evans so we didn’t see the rotation that scared some off here.
Wide Receivers:
Charlie Jones, Purdue – My favorite phrase with CFF – “the tea leaves are pointing in that direction.” We don’t have insights into many situations around college fantasy because of the lack of reporting with certain schools, or being behind paywalls, but there were two articles in the few weeks leading up to the season suggesting Charlie Jones could be WR1. And you saw exactly that vs. Penn State. Most snaps of any Purdue receiver. 12 receptions for 153 yards on 18 (!) targets.
Isaiah Williams, Illinois – Can’t see Fantrax ownership percentages, but this is likely the one-time only rule that Williams will show up on this report. The clear and evident WR1 that now has 16 receptions on 24 targets in just two games. On pace for 40% target share season which is up in the Josh Downs territory from a year ago.
Tyrin Smith, UTEP – The Miners are a terrible football team, but I like some of the pieces they have in the passing game. Gavin Hardison could be a starter at a few P5 schools. And they’ve been throwing the ball around this season, mostly out of necessity. Smith has now posted 15 and 12 targets in consecutive weeks with 15 receptions. This game script likely continues for much of the season. Honorable mention for Rey Flores who has 19 targets in two games. RB/WR designation Fantrax.
Traeshon Holden / Kobe Prentice, Alabama – No lies told on the Alabama offensive depth chart as it was Holden and the true freshman Prentice getting the starting nods. And both performed well, combining for 10 receptions and two touchdowns on 13 targets. Is JaCorey Brooks healthy? What happens when Tyler Harrell is? Questions that need to be asked, but Holden and Prentice are the WR2 and WR3 moving forward it appears.
Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State – His production benefitted from Jaxon Smith-Njigba being less than 100%, but it appears we have a situation similar to last year where there will be three high-end CFF options in the Ohio State passing game. 9-90-1 on 11 targets. The one and only chance this week to add him if not on a roster already.
Jerand Bradley / Loic Fouonji, Texas Tech – Zach Kittley’s system favors the inside slot receiver position as we covered extensively this offseason, but if Donovan Smith is the starter moving forward, that benefits Bradley and Fouonji significantly. Smith throws a tremendous deep ball as he displayed last season, and that showed against Saturday where Bradley/Fouonji combined for 10 receptions on four touchdowns on 12 targets.
Tight Ends:
Joel Wilson, Central Michigan – Don’t anticipate Central Michigan needing to throw the ball 49 times like they did against Oklahoma State, but Wilson was targeted early and often with 6-64-0. Offensive coordinator Paul Petrino utilized his tight end heavily at Idaho, where his starter averaged 13 FPPG the last two seasons.
Bryson Nesbit, North Carolina – The closest thing that UNC has had since Eric Ebron at the position, standing 6-foot-5 with movement skills like a receiver. And that’s essentially how UNC utilizes him as he’s their best offensive weapon not named Josh Downs. Two receiving touchdowns in two games.
Worth A Look
If you have the roster room, these prospects are worth a look.
Quarterbacks:
Hunter Dekkers, Iowa State – Heck of a debut for Dekkers in his first start, scoring 36.8 fantasy points without having had to utilize his legs which is one of his stronger attributes. Don’t think he’s a start next week on the road in a rivalry setting against Iowa, but get Ohio, Baylor at home, then followed by Kansas.
N’Kosi Perry, Florida Atlantic – I want to see Perry against a team that is not defensively-challenged but go find one on their schedule. Six passing touchdowns through two games, including five vs. Ohio. And the receiving corps appears to be vastly upgraded from a year ago (see below for who is contributing most to that).
Todd Centeio, James Madison – I want to see Centeio face a team that is not a dead body before investing significant FAAB, but have a feeling people are going to be snatching him up heavily this week after accumulating nearly 400 yards of total offense with six touchdowns. Could be another big week against Norfolk State next Saturday.
Kaidon Salter, Liberty – If there was a player on Liberty’s roster who most resembled Malik Willis, the former 4-star Tennessee transfer is that guy. Charlie Brewer will be out 6-8 weeks due to injury, and Salter came on for an ineffective Johnathan Bennett to lead the Flames to a narrow victory. I’m sure there will be some frustrating moments – realistically he was third on the depth chart – but the upside is tremendous with this dual-threat.
Michael Penix Jr., Washington – To quote the movie ‘300’…a helluva good start. 300+ passing yards and four touchdowns vs. Kent State is a great debut, and the schedule benefits him facing an FCS opponent and Michigan State’s secondary the next two weeks. Obviously no learning curve with the scheme having already played under Kalen DeBoer at Indiana, and his talented receivers all showed out on Saturday night which boosts value.
Running Backs:
Jalen Berger, Michigan State – I thought Jarek Broussard looked a more explosive, but the numbers don’t lie. 116 yards and a touchdown on more carries (16-10) and snap counts (34-22). Will be a start in your lineups next week vs. Akron, and hopefully beyond that. Though we continue to caution to not expect Kenneth Walker-like numbers. Even the TV broadcast said the staff will rotate these players this season.
Roman Hemby, Maryland – 114 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries in the win over Buffalo. While Hemby looked good, this is not a place to use up a healthy chunk of your FAAB. HC Mike Locksley always runs a committee-approach in the backfield and has never given his RB1 more than 150 carries in a season.
Reese White, Coastal Carolina – Good luck finding any update on when Braydon Bennett will return to the lineup after missing last week’s matchup with Army. White was the beneficiary with 131 yards and two total touchdowns. Still was a split backfield with backup CJ Beasley, but a promising sign that Coastal had that much success running the football with just two starters back on the OL.
Henry Parrish, Miami – If Jaylan Knighton was held out for precautionary reasons coming back from injury, there probably isn’t a ton of incentive to play a full workload next week either vs. Southern Miss. The Ole Miss transfer showed out against Bethune-Cookman with 108 yards and three scores. The coaching staff has stated all offseason this will be a committee approach so don’t be fooled into thinking Parrish is a reliable RB1 long-term. But if you’re the last man standing, you have value.
Sieh Bangura, Ohio – The redshirt freshman won the RB1 job this summer and his value was boosted slightly with the season-ending injury to O’Shaan Allison. Bangura backed up the hype with 23 carries for 114 yards. Only one other rushing attempt went to another running back.
Audric Estime, Notre Dame – This has the look of a RBBC with three variations of runners in Estime, Logan Diggs and Chris Tyree, but Estime did lead the Irish in snaps and attempts, while also finding the end-zone. Likely he does the same next week against Marshall.
Wide Receivers:
Braydon Johnson, Oklahoma State – Quote from Mike Gundy is that they check Jaden Bray weekly with what appears to be a left arm injury as he was without pads on the sidelines. Information is tough to come by for Oklahoma State so we have to proceed as if he’ll be out for some time. In his place was speedster senior Braydon Johnson who posted 6-133-1 on a team-high 10 targets. He and Brennan Presley will be the top two targets with Bray out.
Tre Harris, Louisiana Tech – We mentioned it in our Stats to Know writeups during the summer. 92% of the snaps taken from the WR1s under new head coach Sonny Cumbie over the last eight years have been outside, not in the slot. That’s the highest percentage in the country in that span. Sophomore Tre Harris looks to be keeping that streak alive as he was targeted a team-high 12 times vs. Missouri. Just five receptions for minimal yardage but he’ll fair better against G5 competition. True freshman Cyrus Allen gets a mention here also, posting 5-121-2 with the second most targets behind Harris.
CJ Johnson, East Carolina – Its been a tumultuous career for the 6-foot-2 receiver, but did all the right things off the field following his spring suspension and was rewarded with 6-90-1 on seven targets. Johnson’s move to the slot where Tyler Snead led the team in targets the last three seasons could prove beneficial. FWIW – Isaiah Winstead could also be suggested here as he actually led the Pirates with 10 targets.
Kazmeir Allen, UCLA – We were of belief that Jake Bobo would wind up as WR1 for the Bruins, and still could be the case eventually. But after one week, it’s Allen who posted 10-85-1 on a team-high 12 targets. (1) He plays the slot position that last year’s leading target getter Kyle Philips did, and (2) Allen has a WR/RB designation on Fantrax.
Keylon Stokes, Tulsa – The Golden Hurricane had three different receivers with 10+ targets, but Stokes is the featured option, finishing with 11-169-1 vs. Wyoming. Tulsa had turnover on the offensive line due to graduation and averaged just 3.8 YPC as a team. Might we see a more pass-happy approach in 2022?
Champ Flemings, Arkansas State – Te’Vailance Hunt missed the contest due to injury, which boosted Flemings value as he posted 7-123-1 on seven targets. Why we’re a bit more interested, though, is projected WR2 Jeff Foreman was nowhere to be found with zero targets on 31 offensive snaps. Maybe the pecking order is (1) Hunt and (2) Flemings.
Mississippi State WRs – Look, it’s messy, and all of them contributed in some fashion. Maybe the best course of action is just to avoid it all together. The snap counts did give some clarity. Caleb Ducking played 72 of 87 offensive snaps at the Z position, which we stated this offseason is the most profitable in a Leach offense. Rara Thomas played just half of the offensive snaps, but did the most with his five targets, and also found the end-zone. Rufus Harvey might be the best of the bunch, but the slot position does not produce fantasy points like the others do. Proceed with caution, but those three, along with Austin Williams, appear to be your set starters.
Tight Ends:
CJ Donaldson, West Virginia – Do we have another version of Jaylen Samuels from NC State back in the day? The freshman was making some noise late in fall camp and that was very apparent vs. Pitt as he rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. Dynasty, I think Donaldson is a must-add this week. But what kind of involvement do we see moving forward because I don’t think he’s in the top three at running back just yet. Lot of upside here, though, listed as a tight end on Fantrax.
Trey Knox, Arkansas – The converted tight end led the Hogs in targets (7) and found the end-zone twice vs. Cincinnati. With no clear-cut WR1 on the team this year, maybe the tight end position is featured more in the offense.
Ja’Tavion Sanders, Texas – With a depleted depth chart at WR beyond Xavier Worthy, Quinn Ewers looked to his 250-pound tight end in Sanders who caught all six of his targets for 85 yards and a score.
Longshots
Need to see more from these guys before pulling the trigger unless you are in the deepest of leagues.
Quarterbacks:
Kurtis Rourke, Ohio – CFF production just oozes through the Rourke family. Five touchdowns in one of the best performances of the weekend as Ohio “upset” Florida Atlantic. Remember, back in July, the Bobcats hired former Washington State OC Brian Smith as a running backs coach and passing game coordinator. Maybe he’s having more of an influence on the scheme than originally thought. I’m intrigued.
Running Backs:
Jadyn Ott, California – Taking a “see it to believe it” approach with the California offense, but a good start scoring 34 points vs. UC Davis. The talented true FR running back led the way with 17 carries for 104 yards, likely taking over the starting job from Damien Moore. This one was only a matter of time.
Cam Wiley, Akron – Haven’t seen any report yet of where Jonzell Norrils is, so we won’t bump Wiley up too far, but Wiley received 100% of the carries in the Akron backfield in the win over St. Francis. RB1s under Joe Moorhead have been very productive over the years with six 1,000-yards seasons over the last eight.
Nathan Carter, Connecticut – Schedule ramps up from here on out for UConn, but can’t deny the start that Carter has had with back-to-back 100-yard rushing performances. Gets Syracuse at home this week who just gave up 100 rushing yards to Tiyon Evans so there is a shot Carter can put up some decent numbers this week. On the bench for the following two games, though, vs. Michigan and NC State.
Perris Jones, Virginia – Based on the box score, the change in offensive philosophy is already noticeable as UVA made a concerted effort to run the football. 104 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries for Perris Jones, with the next closest running back getting just eight attempts. Normally we would say avoid as this came against Richmond, but the upcoming schedule is favorable with Illinois, Old Dominion, and then some of the bottom-feeders of the ACC.
La’Damian Webb, South Alabama – The former Florida State and JUCO transfer dominated the volume in the Jaguars backfield, rushing it 18 times for 98 yards and two scores. We will want to see this kind of production vs. an FBS team before diving all the way in.
Wide Receivers:
Carlos Carriere / Jalen McGaughy, Central Michigan – As we said above, these stats are a bit inflated given how much CMU was forced to throw the ball. But the two transfers were heavily involved from the start, combining for 11 receptions and three touchdowns on 19 combined targets. With regards specifically to Carriere, he looked like the WR1 in the first half over our projected top option in Dallas Dixon.
Cam Camper, Indiana – The Hoosiers couldn’t run the ball worth a damn, and while we’re unimpressed by quarterback Conner Bazelak, he did throw it 51 times. Won’t see that volume every week, but the 6-foot-2 junior was the top option with 11 receptions on 17 targets for 157 yards.
App State receivers – Had to give some sort of mention to a team that scored 61 points on Saturday. Tough matchup next week vs. A&M on the road, so we won’t be playing any of these receivers, but there was some clear separation at the top where Christan Horn, Christian Wells and Dashaun Davis all played over 63% of the offensive snaps, each scoring a touchdown. Seems like the position will be just fine despite losing most of its offensive production from a year ago.
Ashtyn Hawkins, Texas State – Countdown is on until Jake Spavital is canned. How do you lose by multiple touchdowns to this Nevada team? Maybe we can get something in CFF out of Ashtyn Hawkins who led the team by a wide margin with 11-102-2 on 14 targets. Looks like he significantly out-snapped projected WR1 Marcel Barbee so we’ll have to check if that was performance related or injury.
Ja’Quan Burton, Florida Atlantic – Career performance for Burton with 115 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets, giving him two scores in two weeks. When N’Kosi Perry is looking for Burton, its deep down the field as the junior receiver is averaging 21.6 YPC and an aDOT of 21.5.
Reggie Brown, James Madison – We hit on this situation in our Stats to Know articles during the summer. HC Curt Cignetti has consistently leaned on his top two receivers in the passing game, as they’ve comprised of 53.2% of total receptions over the last eight years across multiple schools. Reggie Brown looks to be that guy with five receptions and two touchdowns on six targets.
Oronde Gadsden, Syracuse – Remember what OC Robert Anae did with Keytaon Thompson last year? Gadsden runs 6-foot-5 and led all Syracuse “receivers” in snaps vs. Louisville, while also finding the end-zone.
Dynasty:
RB Myles Bailey, Central Michigan – If you’re wondering who is next man up in 2023 after Lew Nichols, we got a good indication of that on Thursday as sophomore Myles Bailey saw nine carries for 51 yards and 23 snaps. No, this was not garbage time either as he was on the field with Sweet Lew on occasions.
WR Germie Bernard, Michigan State – A name that started to pop during the summer, the true freshman displayed plenty of explosiveness on his 44-yard touchdown vs. Western Michigan. Will assume Jayden Reed’s spot after he leaves for the NFL eventually.
